Flower Blog
Archive - June 2007

The Flower Expert welcomes the flower enthusiasts to the special feature - Flower Blogs where the flower lovers can share the knowledge about flowers and flower related topics with the flower admiring community world-wide.

Do you know, that natural dyes are prepared from some of the plants and flowers.

Ancient Dyes:- Natural dyes were used centuries before alchemists became chemists who created dyes in laboratories. Dyers found color in every part of plants, from flower to leaf to root, and from trees including the outer bark, inner bark and the heartwood. Some dye colors were found in insects and seashells, some in colored clays and earth oxides. Some dyes were simple 'cottage dyes' - herbs and flowers grown locally or found in nearby fields. Other dyes have become famous for their coloring ability, or rarity, or general popularity of the moment. Dyes encouraged foreign travel when most people never went beyond their town limits. Dyes were so important that ships carrying dyes were allowed through enemy lines.

Botanical Dyes:- Throughout the ages, wild-crafted herbs, flowers, and weeds were used as dyes and often augmented or substituted for expensive imported dyes. Fresh plants give different colors than dried, so try them in your dyeing as well.

Dye Extracts:- These finely powdered colors are genuine natural dyes that have been concentrated by a special process. Extracts are 2 to 8 times stronger than regular natural dyes. Extracts create 'instant' dyes of rich natural colors on all natural fibers, especially on protein fibers (silk and wool). These dyes can be used for immersion dyeing or hand-painting on fabric, leather, paper, wood or bone, and are especially beautiful for period manuscripts and scrolls. Extracts are more expensive but much less dye is needed to get beautiful color results! Dye extracts can be mixed with each other or with earth oxides to create even more hues.

Dyewoods Warning:- Many woods can cause contact dermatitis if handled without gloves. Sawdust can cause allergic reactions if inhaled as it contains microscopic splinters, so wear dust mask and safety goggles. Keep powdered dyewoods away from children and pets.

Changing colors in flowers

Recently I cam e across an article regarding the coloration in some flowers. It was interesting to know about the changing coloration in Hydrangeas. Here are some of the facts...

Flower color is as important to the eyes as fragrance to the nose. Color plays a vital role in the selection one's favourite flowers.

There are some flowers which change color as a result of the type of soil they are planted in. For Ex., Hydrangea flowers usually change colour only once a year, from pink to blue or the other way around.

Hydrangea blooms change colour several ways.

1. Colour change as a result of the type of soil: Under certain circumstances pink Hydrangeas can turn blue and vice versa.

2. Colour change by aging of the flowers: There are varieties of Hydrangeas whose flowers normally bloom white, pink, red or blue every year and then slowly turn a green colour. If the flowers have become sufficiently strong and feel leathery then, you can make dried flowers of these.

There are also varieties of Hydrangeas whose flowers, after their initial bloom and then going through the green phase, turn a beautiful red colour. That gives an added dimension to these varieties, because there are more possibilities for use. This natural aging of the flowers is fascinating. Again and again Hydrangeas show something new, making them so beloved by so many.

Shopping for Father's day

Finding a perfect gift fo the father's day is not so very difficult with the idea of what to buy.
Father's Day is just around the corner and now's the time to start shopping for special gifts for Dad.

There are a wide range of gifts which can be selected for your Dad to whom you truly love and adore. The selected can include selection includes exclusive sci-fi memorabilia, gadget gifts, sports collectibles and more.

Present your dad with total spirit:

Tell Dad he's your hero with special gifts for a Marine Dad and honor his courage with gifts for a firefighter Dad...

If Dad loves nature, you can shop unique gifts for outdoor Dads..

If he likes the latest technology, you can't go wrong with cool gadget gifts for Dad...

If your father is a teacher, then gift with the teaching material useful...

Celebrating Fathers day in 2007

FatherÃ¢??s Day is always the third Sunday in June. In 2007, FatherÃ¢??s Day is June 17.

There is a research done by HALLMARK, which shows that:-

FatherÃ¢??s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending occasion with approximately 103 million FatherÃ¢??s Day cards expected to be given this year in the United States.

Fifty percent of all FatherÃ¢??s Day cards are purchased for dads. Nearly 20 percent of FatherÃ¢??s Day cards are purchased for husbands. Other categories include grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles, and someone special.

In 2006, 69 percent of consumers expected to purchase at least one card for FatherÃ¢??s Day.

Two top-selling and important kinds of cards are Dad from Daughter and cards from a couple or family group Dad From Both and Our Wish.

The first prize winner will receive a $75 gift voucher on "Gifts N Ideas". The second prize winner will receive a $50 gift voucher on "Pickup Flowers" and all short listed entries will get 10% Discount on "Gifts N Ideas". Congratulations to all!

THAT'S AMORE, AMY!

Fathers day Shortlisted Essay 2

By Helen Colella

For years, my father struggled with poor health conditions that required his continuous treatment in hospitals. After a valiant battle to overcome them, they finally took over his body and he couldnt fight the irreversible damage any longer. Eventually, the complications from his physical problems, that if listed read like a menu, sent him into a nursing home.

In the last months of his life, we started to talk, really talk, to one another. I felt a unique bonding developing, bringing us closer than wed ever been.

Each time I visited him, I become more aware of his strong spirit; at the same time, I noticed his physical strength wither away. So many times, I couldnt hide my anger over the situation. Its not fair, Dad. Were just getting to know and understand each another.

On one visit, I reminisced about our drive home from Lake Tahoe and having to listen to the same cassette tape, over and over and over.

It has all my favorite Italian songs on it. He reminded me. Especially, Thats Amore.

We laughed remembering how I tried to learn all the words.

One day I talked about how hard it was being the youngest of the four siblings, with strong willed, gregarious brothers. With some trepidation I added, Not to mention a father born of the same nature.

Without hesitation, he nodded his agreement. He did understand after all.

Teary eyed I said, Sometimes I felt left out; like I didnt count.

He patted my hand and emphatically assured me it was not the case. Youre my baby girl and were a family. Everyone counts; all the time.

I know that, now. But you couldnt have convinced me back then.

He seemed to get lost in some private thoughts then added; Just like you not understanding he paused, seeming to search for the right words then said, I believe you called them unreasonable demands and limitations, then accused me of trying to ruin your life. Sound familiar?

I nodded and said, Fussing about fatherly rules and regulations seems so insignificant now.

See, all part of being a family, he said. And like

the song says, thats amore, Amy. He started to sing I had
to join in; before long, we were laughing.

Dads gone now, but when I hear the song Thats Amore, I think of him and realize we did share a special father-daughter relationship, all without me even knowing it. Yes, I tell myself. Thats Amore, Amy.

DECADE DUST

Fathers day Shortlisted Essay 1

by DIANNE SCHOONMAKER

Every now and then, if we are exceptionally lucky, we get an enlightened glimpse of growing old or what my family calls decade dust. This can be the setting for understanding one of lifes most poignant foibles, the fear of aging. I think of a recent afternoon spent with my ninety-one-year-old father. He couldnt remember where he put the reading glasses he had been reading with five minutes earlier. Hes been more forgetful since Mother died two years ago. Yet, when he saw me struggling to break a package seal on a bottle of water, he stopped me.

I'll get that for you with my skunk knife, he said. He pulled a tarnished silver pocket knife out of his pocket, opened the blade which had been newly sharpened, and proceeded to cut the seal on the water bottle.

Youve carried that knife my whole life, I said tenderly, but youve never told me why you call it a skunk knife.

Suddenly, the confused eyes that couldnt remember where the reading glasses were brightened and I could sense them reaching back to a time they remembered well. My dad gave me that knife and a small .22 rifle when I was eight, he said in a far away voice. Dad told me never to pull the trigger on the rifle if I could see a cow or a man at the other end. And he told me the knife would keep the skunks away.

Did you ever kill a skunk with the knife? I asked, half joking and half hoping I could keep this conversation going.

No, but I made my spending money killing chipmunks and cutting their tails off. Chipmunk tails were worth $.04 apiece then. The government was paying farmers for silly things like that to keep them in business during the great dust storms. My dad thought I was quite a little businessman. He was proud of me. Those were good times, before the depression hit. The depression changed my dad. He wasnt the same afterwards.

How did he change? I asked but I had missed my chance. I could see the decade dust settling back over the eyes. It would be another day, another memory before I heard the rest of the tale. I knew that Dad would, like me and so many of my friends, continue having trouble remembering the short-term details of day-to-day living. But decade dust or not, Dad remembers the important things, the things that happened long ago, the things that made life significant. Decade dust or not, Dad remembers why he carried a skunk knife his dad gave him at age eight every day for the rest of his life. Dad remembers the things I need to know. And he knows I know it.

Even more important is that Dad knows Ill know how to help my children through lifes foibles. Ill remember what they need to knowÃÂ¢?ÃÂ¦decade dust or not.

Gifting Fathers on Father's day

As mother's day, Father's day is also celebrated throughout the world. It is celebrated to honour ones father for all the things he had given his children.

There are fathers, single fathers who are more better than the some mothers. They ought to be given importance. Hence fathers day is celebrated by giving gifts on 3 rd sunday of June, in most of the countries of the world.

Giving gifts does not mean that one should spend the money like water to buy gifts for him. A simple gift as Rose, may equal to diamonds.

Remember one thing that, give the present or gift, according to the tastes of your father. The gift presented to him must be useful to him, so that when in use, he remembers you.

Fathers day celebrations in South America

In a recent article, I found the information on fathers day celebrations in South America. I am interested to share those facts.

Father's Day is a day for honoring fathers and other men who act as father figures. Fathers, stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends receive cards, flowers and gifts on Father's Day. Dads, husbands and grandfathers traditionally relax and enjoy the company of their children.

It was not until Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. The original date chosen for the holiday was June 5, Mr. Smart's birthday, however the celebration was postponed until June 19, the third Sunday in June, because there was not enough time to prepare. Meanwhile, in various towns and cities across America, other people were beginning to celebrate a day just for fathers.

In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.

In 1924, President Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day, but it never became official until 1966 when President Johnson signed the proclamation that set aside the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. It's a tradition that has carried on to the present day in both the US and Canada.

Fathers day celebrations in Austria and Switzerland

Fathers day is celebrated with a difference in different countries. Let us see how it is celebrated in Austria and Switzerland.

Austria:
The Austrian Father's Day observance, while closer to the American holiday, is still not exactly the same thing. The date is also in June (on the second Sunday), but the celebration has a slightly more religious connotation, something like a feast day in the Catholic church. Even more than in the US, the Austrian Vatertag ranks far lower in importance than Muttertag. The first observance of Father's Day in Austria was in 1956. Today it is similar to the U.S. Father's Day in that many Austrians give cards and presents for Papis special day.

Switzerland:
Father's Day in Switzerland seems to be almost unknown. When it is observed at all, Vatertag seems to be a regional affair, falling either in June or October, but there is no Swiss national holiday for Papa.

fathers day celebrations

Do you know from when father's day is being celebrated?

Father's Day is celebrated in the 3rd Sunday in June. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

Facts and Figures of Fathers involving in their children lives

In a recent article I came to know that how many fathers are involved in their children lives. As fathers day is nearing, it is very interesting to come to know the facts and figures. Here are some of the facts and figures. These are the reports of Parents Television Council.

Network television is increasing the visibility of father-figures in prime time television according to a recent study of the 2004-2005 television season by the Parents Television Council.

The study, the third of its kind, found that 86.5% of all TV children have a father figure involved in their lives, but an increasing number of single dads are raising their children.

The PTC reviewed every original series airing during prime time (8:00-11:00pm ET/PT) on the broadcast networks during the 2004-2005 television season. The analysis encompassed 106 shows depicting 195 children. The last study on TV father figures was conducted for the 2002-2003 television season. The key findings about TV children and the roles include:

86.5% have a father figure involved in their lives (up 3.6%)

50% live in a traditional family, with their married biological parents (down 2.8%)

14.8% are being raised by single fathers (up 10.7%)

13.8% do not live with any kind of father figure (down 13%)

12.9% do not have an involved father figure (down 3.4%)

As a whole, television shows are increasingly showing more fathers who are involved in their children's lives. This study is not a qualitative look at the types of fathers portrayed by network television; rather it is a quantitative look at the number of fathers and father-figures portrayed during the prime time hours on the seven broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, ITV and WB.

Fathers day Quotes

Here are some of the fathers day Quotes, which i wanted to sahre with you.

A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again. -- Enid Bagnold

It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed knowing them all. -- Alice Walker

None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of SUCH a Father who has not his equal in this world-so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal. -- Victoria, Queen of England

That is the thankless position of the father in the family-the provider for all, and the enemy of all. -- J. August Strindberg

It is a wise father that knows his own child. -- William Shakespeare

It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. -- Anne Sexton

One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. -- English Proverb

To be a successful father . . . there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years. -- Ernest Hemingway

A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father. -- Gabriel GarcÃÂ­a MÃÂ¡rquez

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection. -- Sigmund Freud

I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example. -- Mario Cuomo

Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young,
Who loved thee so fondly as he?
He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue,
And joined in thy innocent glee.
-- Margaret Courtney

If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right.-- Bill Cosby

Adding some silk flowers to the arrangement will make it appear even more delicate. Ribbon and lace embellishments can dress up the piece. For this demonstration, you will set the lines with pods, eucalyptus and some silk flowers. BabyÃ¢??s breath, starflowers and leather leaf are used for filler. For a nice, tall line flower, use some pink larkspur.

The first steps are identical to that of the Williamsburg: glue a foam block to your container and cover with moss. An open-sided basket with a handle is a great choice for a container. As in other flower arrangements, always set your lines with one of your basic flowers. In this example, that flower will be the lotus pod, which has been sprayed a soft, pretty blue. Remember that any flower can be spray-painted. Insert pods one at a time at an angle at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 oÃ¢??clock position. A fifth pod should be inserted straight into the center of the foam block. In a triangular flower arrangement such as this, set the line so that the length is greater than or equal to the height - never less. Adjust that center pod accordingly.

Next, continue to set the line by inserting some silk flowers. Varying the height, set one flower in the center and one to each side of it. Devote equal attention to both sides of your basket handle as you work. Add leather leaf around the base of the arrangement. Fill out the arrangement by randomly inserting some starflowers, which make a nice focal point. Continue to fill with babyÃ¢??s breath.

Adding eucalyptus really helps to establish the lines of this triangular arrangement. Eucalyptus is typically very easy to insert, seldom needing support from wire or floral tape. Next, fill empty areas with statice, being sure to cover the mechanics of the arrangement. BabyÃ¢??s breath is another good filler flower. Try dying it for some additional color. Berry sprays add both texture and color.

Once everything else is completed, the final step of the Victorian triangular arrangement is adding some pink larkspur. Place these delicate flowers at a greater height throughout the arrangement so that they stand out from the rest of the flowers. Again, these flowers should complement the triangular line. One nice, tall piece is terrific in the center of the arrangement.